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Title details for Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn - Available

Across the Nightingale Floor

Tales of the Otori Book One

by Lian Hearn
Kevin Gray
Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
2 of 2 copies available
A tour-de-force novel set in ancient Japan filled with passion, fantasy, and feuding warlords. The first volume in the highly anticipated "Tales of the Otori" trilogy.Sixteen-year-old Takeo's village has been massacred by an evil warlord, and he is about to be slain by the men who murdered his parents and neighbors. At the last moment, his life is saved by a nobleman, who claims the boy as his kin and begins his education.But nothing is as it seems. Takeo discovers that he has rare powers that are useful to those around him. As he grows into manhood, he must decide where his loyalties lie: with his noble master and adoptive father; with the Hidden, a secret, spiritual sect whose beliefs are forbidden; or with the Tribe, the assassins and spies who consider him one of their own.A story of treachery, political intrigue, and the intensity of first love, set in a world ruled by formal ritual and codes of honor, Across the Nightingale Floor crosses genres, generations, and genders to captivate fans of all ages.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    July 18, 2002

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781598873122
      • File size: 242675 KB
      • Duration: 08:25:34

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 840
    • Text Difficulty: 4-5

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      In his first novel, Hearn creates an epic tale of secret societies, supernatural powers, intrigue, love, and revenge among warring clans in a country modeled after Japan. Kevin Gray reads first-person chapters as the voice of young Takeo, a member of the Hidden possessing amazing powers, adopted by the Otori clan for reasons that only become clear as the story unfolds. Aiko Nakasone reads alternating chapters written in the third person from the perspective of Lady Kaede Shirakawa, a not-at-all-helpless damsel. Gray's reading of the story is spectacular; his warm, soothing voice transports the listener to a setting worlds away. Nakasone also gives a strong performance, although it lacks the depth of Gray's near-perfect depiction of life with the Otori. H.L.S. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      July 22, 2002
      Mystical powers and martial arts rampage through this pseudo-Japanese story, the first of a projected trilogy by newcomer Hearn, with an abandon that's head spinning. From the entrance of the 16-year-old hero, Takeo, as he is about to be swatted down by a mounted horseman and the way he can become invisible or make a duplicate of himself when he needs to, to the head-rolling decapitations that follow interminably, the impossible becomes the semiplausible. Takeo, who joins the Otori clan, is a religious outcast, and also, surprisingly, a member of "the Tribe," a secretive race that has unusual mental and physical powers that lend them an unworldly air. Takeo learns how to control his burgeoning talents just in time to avenge the death of his mentor, while politics and clan rivalries lead to an increasing amount of graphic bloodshed. Takeo enjoys a few blissful moments with the fetching Lady Kaede Shirakawa but, unfortunately, she is not destined to be his, now or in the future. For fans of Japanese samurai warrior fantasy, this novel is right in the ballpark, filled with swords, clan in-fighting, love affairs, invisibility and magical Ninja powers. However, for those looking for something with a bit of depth, the author tends to gloss over the details of why and how. Takeo learns the craft of the Tribe offstage and all the political maneuvering that goes into the clan warfare is rather murky. Hopefully, the next book will show what Hearn is really capable of. (Sept. 2)Forecast:With movie rights sold to Universal Studios and foreign rights sold in 11 countries, this one seems a sure bet for genre bestseller lists.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      July 25, 2005
      Originally published in one volume, the handsomely designed, pocket-size Firebird editions break Hearn's book into two episodes. "Mystical powers and martial arts rampage through this first of a projected trilogy," according to PW, . "For fans of Japanese samurai warrior fantasy, this novel is right in the ballpark, filled with swords, clan in-fighting, love affairs, invisibility and magical Ninja powers." Ages 12-up.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:840
  • Text Difficulty:4-5

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This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Funding for additional materials was made possible by a grant from the New Hampshire Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities.